Advertising apparatus



March 1951 K J. L. PFLUEGER 46,236

ADVERTISING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet l fifizAx T 31555 Z Jffiys.

March 27, 1951 J. L. PFLUEGER ADVERTISING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 20, 1948 III l I II II II II II III III III? III

(III III III III III II III III 3mm firzlnp lzzzeyer I///////V/ A March 27, 1951 J. PFLUEGER ADVERTISING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 20, 1948 3 W0 Wow biz m Ji /E366 F MWZWM 322w March 27, 1951 J. L. PFLUEGER ADVERTISING APPARATUS 5 Shets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 20, 1948 Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADVERTISING APPARATUS John L. Pflueger, Newlrleans,-La..

Application September 20, 1948,"Serial No."50,209 7 Claims." (01.;40-32') 1 This inventionrelates to-changeable' signs; and is an improvement over the construction embodied in my prior Patent No. 2,231,590, issued February l1, 1941, for Advertising Apparatus,

An object of this invention is to providela changeable sign-structure employing a plurality of exhibiting panels *with an improved means tion and details of construction disclosed in the drawings andspecifio'ation, and then more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 isa detail front elevationof a changeable sign constructed according to an embodiment of my invention,

Figure 2 is a'fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure *1;

Figure 2A is a fragmentary plan view of the upper front portion of the device,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a sectional view partly diagrammatic, showing the forward turning cam rails or tracks,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the inner portionof one end turning cam,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the turning cam at the opposite end of the device,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 1-! of Figure 2A.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of Figure 2 showing one of the chain guiding channels,

Figure 9 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away, showing one of the sign panels between the upper. and lower chains.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I0 designates generally a housing embodying an open front frame II, a top wall I2, a rear wall l3, and .a supporting base l4. The housing It! has mounted therein a plurality of upright parallel frame members 15,-there being as many frame members l5 as there are :pairs of panellcarrying chains.

In Figure 3 there is disclosed the driving chain structure forudrivingall of the chain carrying I panels, and the frame [5 which is the inter mediate or middle frame has mounted in the rear. portionrthereof an upright tubular: shaft [6 on the lower end of which is secured a .shaft l1 carryingua sprocket l8. Shaft ll rotatabl-y-engages through plates and 91 which are .fixedly carried by frame [5 and are securedtogether .byaHU-Shapedmember 94. Thetubular shaftfl'fi has securedrin the :upper endlthereof an .upper.

stub shaft IS *on which a sprocket 2 0i is'securedn 1 Shaft 48 rotatably engages through plates 92.: and:

93:"whichare fixedly carried by frame IS. The. shaft ll has fixeduon its lower end belowthe sprocket It a lower sprocket: 2| about whichlai chain '22 engages.

The chain 22 extends laterally to the next ad-r jaoent lower sprocketi2l andran upper sprocket 23 isfixed to thetuppervendlof the stub shaft 19 and hasa chain 24 engaged thereabout which.ex-.; tends in'the opposite directionfrom'the chain 122..

A'drivengear 25 is fixed to the lower: end oflthe stub shaft I] andmesheswith .aqdrivinggear. 2.6

connected to anlelectric motorx2l :which cured to the rear wall 13.

The sprocket .IB vhas engaged thereabout av panel carrying chain .28 which extends forwardly and is trained about a forward sprocket:;29. The) sprocket 29 is fixed to a shaft 39 which is journalled between a pair of horizontal swingable plates-3| and.32 carried by a pivot. 33 which is fixedto frame :15 as at 96, and, plates 31 and 32 are secured together by a U-shaped member ,:95..,

The sprocket. 20 has engaged thereaboutan equal panel carrying chain 34 which at its forward gated rectangular plate which, as shown in Figure- 2A, is formed on one edge with a V-shaped bevel 4 I, and a V-shaped groove" on the opposite edge thereof. at their upper andlower ends as indicatedlat '43 and 44 onv the links of the chains 28 and 34, and: with the pivot members 43 and 44 being disposed inthe transverse median of. each panel. On the straight andlparallel runs of the panel carrying The panels 40 are pivotally mountedchains 28 and 34, the adjacent vertical edges of adjacent panels will be disposed in spaced apart relation, as shown in Figure 3. The frame l5 comprises upright angle bars I85 and lfli connected together by horizontal upper and lower angle bars I52 and 103 with a bracing bar ltd between the uprights I50 and Illl. Bar liil is fixed to plate 9!, and plate 9! is fixed to bottom m5 by block 95. The upper portion of bar I has a vertical plate I06 fixed thereto and a horizontal angle bar It? is fixed to the upper end of plate H35 and slidably supports plate 35. The rear end of upper bar [52 is bent right-angularly upwardly as at Hi8 and plate 92 is fixed to extension I08.

In order to provide for turning or reversing of the panels 46, I have provided at the forward end of the housing 10, turning cam means as shown in Figures 4, and 6. When a panel as shown in Figure 4, is disposed closely adjacent the front of the housing It, the panel is rocked or pivoted with respect to the pivots 43 and 44. This is accomplished by means of a turning rail 45 disposed along the outer portion of the chain 28. The turning rail 45 extends forwardly in a straight line to a point substantially in line with the transverse vertical plane of the pivot 46 of an adjacent front sprocket 29.

Each panel 40 is provided at its trailing edge with a depending roller 41 and at its leading edge with a leading depending roller 48. The rollers 41 and 43 engage along the inner side of the rail 45 and at the forward portion of the rail 45 the rail is bent inwardly, as indicated at 49, with the axis of pivot46 as a center. When the leading roller 48 bears against the inwardly curved forward portion 49, the trailing roller 41 will be swung outwardly passing outwardly through an elongated opening 50 which is formed in the rail 45.

An outer rail 5| is disposed in spaced relation to the rail 45, extending forwardly initially on an obtuse angle to the length of the rail 45, as indicated at 52, and then extending parallel with the rail 45 as indicated at 53. The forward end of the parallel rail member 53 is bent at right angles to the rail 53 as shown at 54, and the forward rail portion 54 is disposed parallel with the front wall of the housing [5. The inner end of the front rail portion 54 is connected with the curved forward end portion 49 of rail 45 by a curved connecting portion 55. An outer rail 56 is disposed forwardly of the rail 54, being parallel therewith and designed to hold the panels in parallel position with respect to the front of the housing.

. An arcuate rail 51 is disposed between adjacent front rails 56, providing spaces 58 and 59 through which the leading rollers 48 may pass. On the return side of the chain 28 there is a rail 60 engaging in the outer side of the rollers 41 and 48 and having the forward end 5| thereof spaced rearwardly from the front of the housing so that the panels may readily turn 180 degrees. An inner cam rail 52 projects forwardly and inwardly with respect to the parallel sides of the chain 28, diverging inwardly from the forward end of the rail 65. This rail 62 is adapted to engage the trailing roller 41 and to move this roller rearwardly to a leading position so that the trailing roller 41 on the forwardly moving side of the chain 28 will be reversed and become the leading roller on the next pass of the chain. When the leading roller 48 passes through the opening 58 and engages about the outer convex side of rail 51 and 4 then passes through opening 59, this roller will enter the space 63 between the adjacent front rail 56a and the parallel rail 54a associated with an adjacent chain.

In Figure 6, the front rail 5% which is a lateral or end rail at the right end of the side, as viewed in Figure 1, has fixed thereto a U-shaped rail 54. At the left end of the side, as viewed in Figure 5, the outer turning rail or cam 53 has associated therewith an outer rail 65 which is parallel with the inclined rail 52. The rail 65'is provided so that the trailing roller will be confined in its initial outward swinging and will not strike the adjacent side wall of the housing.

At the rear of each chain there are a series of rails which are designed to engage the two rollers 4'5 and 48 so as to maintain the panels in their position with respect to their exhibiting side obtained by the front turning cam rails. The rail 65 extends rearwardly to the rear sprocket l8 and is formed with a curved rear portion 66 diverging from the periphery of the sprocket l8. The rail 50 is formed with an opening Bl forwardly of the sprocket l8 so that when the leading roller engages the curved cam rail portion 55 the trailing roller may swing outwardly through the opening 61. As the chain progresses the trailing roller is adapted to engage a curved cam rail 68 which is fixed at its forward end to the rail Bil rearwardly of the opening 61.

The rail 68, as shown in Figure 6, projects inwardly and beyond the end of the curved rail 65 and is adapted to hold the trailing roller against forward swinging until the leading roller enters into a forwardly converging space 69 disposed between an angularly disposed and inwardly projecting rail 10 and the side rail 45. The rear end of the side rail 45 is reversely curved and projected inwardly as indicated at H, to provide for the smooth operation of the chain and smooth movement of the rollers as the panels are moved from the rearwardly moving side to the forwardly moving side of the chain 28.

In order to provide for interlocking engagement of the panels 40 at the forward open side of the housing I0, I have provided upper and lower cam wheels 12 and 13 which are fixed to the stub shafts 36 and 30 respectively. The cam members 12 and 13 are of like construction and each includes a circular plate 14 which is formed with a pair of diametrically opposed notches or cam slots 15. The front shaft 36 associated with the driving chain 34 and the front shaft 33 associated with the driving chain 28 extend through pairs of plates 31a and 38a (Figure '7) which are fixed relative to the frame 15. The adjacent shafts 35 and 30 are rotatably mounted in pairs of swinging plates 3l38 and 3 l32 respectively.

A spring 16 is fixed at one end to the stationary plate 31 associated with the upper driving chain 34, and the spring 16 is secured as at l? to the next adjacent plate 31 swingably mounted on pivot 39. An elongated roller carrying bar 78 is fixed to the stationary plate 31a on the upper side thereof and has a roller 19 fixed to each end thereof adapted to bear against the periphery of the adjacent cam member l2. Plate 31a is fixed to the frame by means of securing members 31b. Plates 3'! and 31a are formed with upturned marginal flanges 84 and 85, respectively, for reinforcing these plates. When a cam notch 15 confronts roller 19, spring 15 will swing the plates 31 and 39 with the forward end of the adjacent driven chain toward the driving chain, and the panels 40 which at this time are in parallel relation with respect to'the front of the housing Ill, will move toward each other so that the V-shaped edges 4| will engage in the V- shaped grooves 42. At the time the panels 4! are in interlocking exhibiting position, motor 21 is cut off by means of a conventional time switch 80 which is carriedby the rear wall l3 of the housing and=connected to-motor 2.7. v

Each panel 40 has a pair of rollers 41 and 48 at its lower and upper ends, and the rollers 4'! and 48 together with the pivots 43 or 44 are secured to plates 8| and 82 which are fixed by suitable fastening means to the lower and upper ends of the panel 40. The chains 28 and 34 between the ends thereof slidingly engage in channel shaped guide members 83 as shown in Figure 8, so as to keep the chains from sagging.

In the use and operation of this sign, the panels 40 are adapted to have suitable indications on each side thereof for progressively or successive- 1y exhibiting at the front of the housing I 0. The motor 27 will rotate the driving shaft l6 and the driving chains 28 and 34 and the remaining driven chains will rotate simultaneously therewith.

Assuming that there are panels 40 in exhibiting position at the front of the housing when the motor 2! is energized by the time switch as, the chains 28 and 34 will be moved and cam members 12 will rotate and move the exhibited panels 4% laterally and edgewise away from each other. As the chains continue their movement, the exhibited panels Will be moved rearwardly, being turned as hereinbefore described by the turning cam rails at the front of the housing. When a succeeding panel is in the front of the housing in an exhibiting position, motor 21 will be stopped and the succeeding panels will be interlocked to provide a substantially solid panel bearing the desired advertising characters or figures.

With a sign as hereinbefore described, the exhibited sign may be varied according to the number of panels carried by the device and as each panel is exhibited on each side thereof there will be twice as many exhibiting surfaces as would be the case if the panels were not turned.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction herein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Advertising apparatus comprising a housing having an open front, a plurality of exhibiting units in said housing, each unit comprising upper and lower chains, a plurality of exhibiting panels pivotally secured between said chains, the edges of said panels being disposed in spaced relation, means for disposing the foremost of said panels in parallel relation with respect to the front of said housing, each panel having a groove in one edge thereof and having the other edge shaped to snugly fit into the groove of an adjacent panel, and means for moving the panels disposed in exhibiting position toward each other whereby the edges of adjacent panels will interlock with each other to thereby form a solid exhibiting surface at the front of said housing.

2. Advertising apparatus comprising a housing having an open front, a plurality of exhibiting units in said housing, each unit comprising upper and lower chains, a plurality of exhibiting panels pivotally secured between said chains, the edges of said panels being disposed in spaced relation, means for disposing the foremost of said panels in parallel relation with respect to the front of said-housing means at one end- 0f each-unit-for reversing the exhibitingside of each'panel for each complete movement of said chains,- each panel having a groove in one edgethereof and having the other edge-shaped to snugly fit into the groove of an adjacent panel, and means for movingthe panels disposed in exhibiting position toward each other whereby the edges of adjacent panels will interlock with each other to thereby form a solid exhibiting surface at the front of said housing.

3. Advertising apparatus comprising a plurality of exhibiting units disposed in upright parallel relation, each unit comprising upper and lower endless chains, exhibiting panels pivotally secured between said chains for periodic rotation about a vertical axis, means at one end of each unit for turning each panel degrees, the panels of each unit being disposed in spaced relation to each other, means at one end of each unit for laterally shifting the foremost panels of said units into edge abutting relation whereby to provide a substantially solid panel assembly.

4. Advertising apparatus comprising a plurality of exhibiting units disposed in upright parallel relation, each unit comprising upper and lower endless chains, means supporting the forward portions of said units for horizontal swinging movement, spaced apart vertically disposed sign panels pivotally secured between said chains, and means for periodically swinging said units at the, forward ends thereof toward each other whereby to dispose the foremost panels of said units in edge abutting relation to thereby provide a substantially solid panel assembly.

5. Advertising apparatus comprising a plurality of exhibiting units disposed in upright parallel relation, each unit comprising upper and lower endless chains, means supporting the forward portions of said units for horizontal swinging movement, spaced apart vertically disposed sign panels pivotally secured between said chains, means for periodically swinging said units at the forward ends thereof toward each other whereby to dispose the foremost panels of said units in edge abutting relation to thereby provide a substantially solid panel assembly, and cam means at the rear end of each unit engageable with said panels upon movement thereof for reversing said panels.

6. Advertising apparatus comprising a plurality of exhibiting units disposed in upright parallel relation, each unit comprising upper and lower endless chains, means supporting the forward portions of said units for horizontal swinging movement, spaced apart vertically disposed sign panels pivotally secured between said chains, means for periodically swinging said units at the forward ends thereof toward each other whereby to dispose the foremost panels of said units in edge abutting relation to thereby provide a substantially solid panel assembly, and stationary cam means at the rear end of each unit engageable with said panels upon movement thereof for reversing said panels.

7. Advertising apparatus comprising a plurality of exhibiting units disposed in upright parallel relation, each unit comprising upper and lower endless chains, means supporting the forward portions of said units for horizontal swinging movement, spaced apart vertically disposed sign panels pivotally secured between said chains, means for periodically swinging said units at the forward ends thereof toward each other whereby to dispose the foremost panels of said units in 7 edge abutting relation to thereby provide a substantially solid panel assembly, cam rails at one end of each unit for reversing said panels, and a pair of rollers carried by one end of each panel for engagement with said rails.

JOHN L. PFLUEGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

